A Red Rose
by Moon Rose
Summary: Um, this takes place in Martin's time... I'm not saying anything more. Please R/R. No flames please.
1. Moonlit Roses

A/N: Hi, everybody. Hope ya like my fic, it's the first I've posted here. I really wanted to tell this story. Enjoy.  
Moon Rose   
* **  
"Gonff, stop chucking pomegranate seeds at me, will you?"  
Martin the Warrior tried to pull a large pomegranate away from his friend, but succeeded only in smushing it a little. Gonff pretended to be angry.  
"Hey, that is a perfectly good pomegranate, pal. The seeds actually make quite good missiles."  
"Yes, I kind of noticed that as one smacked my forehead."  
Dinny the mole laughed at his friends. "Purrapps ee'd better stop, or Martun'll have dents on 'is 'ead frum ee pomurgranute."  
Martin grinned. "Yes, it'd be a pity to go out for a nice walk out into Mossflower and return with pomegranate seed dents all over my forehead."  
"All right, I'll stop," Gonff said, smiling and chewing a seed. "It's a waste of good seeds anyway."  
The three friends were enjoying a leisurely walk out into Mossflower Wood. It was a bright mid-summer day, when all of the wildflowers were in full bloom, and they didn't want to miss a second of this day by spending it indoors.  
"You know," Gonff mused. "It's really too bad we don't have some of Skipper's hotroot soup right now. I'm starving."  
"You're always starving." Martin pointed out.  
"But today I'm especially starving. Even though I ate a huge mushroom'n'onion pastie before we left."  
"You mean the one Columbine baked that mysteriously 'disappeared' from the windowsill?"  
"The very same, matey."   
Suddenly, Dinny scratched his head. "Oi've never been in this part of Mossflower."  
Marin glanced all around him. "Come to think of it, neither have I."   
Gonff looked concerned. "I haven't either, but I do know that, first of all, wherever we are, it isn't very close to the Abbey, and secondly, the sun is going down."  
Martin and Dinny glanced at the darkening, rosy-colored sky. The sun was indeed setting.  
"I can't believe I let that happen." Martin said, moaning. "We are completely lost, and even if we weren't, we wouldn't be able to get back to the Abbey before dark."  
"Don't be too hard on yourself." Gonff said. "None of us were paying any attention. Well, I suppose we'd better stay here for the night, then."  
"Do you think Abbess Germaine would worry about us at all?" Martin asked.  
"Nah. She knows we're all perfectly capable of putting up a fight if need be."  
As the friends talked and settled themselves on the ground, the sun shed its last golden rays over the wood.  
"All right, I believe it's sleepy-time for us tough folks." Gonff said cheerily. "Would you like me to make up a lullaby poem for you on the spot?"  
Martin rolled his eyes, smiling. "No, thank you, I've witnessed your attempts at last minute poetry."  
"Very well, if you insist." Gonff replied jauntily. "I say, matey, look at those roses over there. Aren't they beautiful?"  
The smile immediately dropped from Martin's face. He looked at the roses with a forlorn expression.  
"Yes, beautiful." he said quietly.   
Gonff was rather startled. "Uh, are- are you all right, pal?"  
"Fine." Martin said, his voice cracking, and lay down on the grass.  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
Later on that night, Martin glanced at the cluster of roses that Gonff had pointed out earlier. Radiant moonlight shone down on each magnificent flower, making the scarlet of the petals clearly visible. Martin wiped a tear from his eyes as another rolled down his cheek. Stop crying, he told himself, but that only made the tears fall faster. He buried his head in his hands. I can't believe it, he thought. It's been years since that day, and it still breaks my heart to think of it.   
He took a deep breath and looked up at the roses again. This time he noticed movement in the trees behind them. He was immediately on his feet, heart pounding. He quickly awakened Gonff and Dinny.  
"Wha- what is it..."  
Martin slapped a hand over Gonff's yawning mouth. "I'm not sure."   
"It better be aportant. Oi'm very toired." Dinny whispered.  
The friends watched as the figure emerged from the trees, and then stopped sharply.  
"Martin?" the figure said softly. It knows my name. Martin thought in total surprise and bewilderment. How does it know my name? His heart sped up as the figure slowly stepped into the glowing moonlight. The luminous moonbeams lit up the figure's face.  
Martin's heart stopped beating altogether. He tried to say something, but in his astonishment no words would come out. He simply stood there, mouth open, paws trembling, completely shocked.  
He finally managed to speak.  
"Laterose!"  



	2. Reunion

A/N: Hello, again. Just a couple quick notes. This chapter is dedicated to my good friend J, and Chibimegan, who said she'd have my head if I didn't get this chapter up. Oh, and by the way, this is NOT the last chapter. You think I would be mean enough to end the story here? Of course not.  
  
~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
Martin was in shock. "Rose?" he repeated. "Rose?"  
"Martin!" the figure, who everyone could now see was a mousemaid, exclaimed. "I- where have you- I've been searching everywhere!"  
"I can't believe it." Martin said in astonishment. "I can't believe it!"  
Gonff and Dinny both were incredibly confused by now. "Ev'rybudy gone crazy, oi b'leeve." Dinny declared.  
"A fire." Martin said, still shaking. "Somebeast light a fire."  
Gonff did so, declaring as he did, "Excuse me, I'm aware that this is somewhat a rather emotional moment, but I seem to be missing some vital information here. Could someone please fill me in?"  
"Oh- yes- of course." Martin said, more or less snapping out of his trance. "Come on, let's go sit down."  
All four creatures sat around the now blazing fire. "Well," Gonff said, slowly. "That has got to be the strangest thing I've ever seen. I'm assuming your name is Laterose, Rose for short?" he asked the mousemaid, who nodded. Gonff now looked at Martin. "Do you two know each other?"  
"Yes- yes, we do." Martin said, still rather stunned. "But- but- Rose, you're supposed to be dead!"  
It was Rose's turn to be stunned. "What? I'm supposed to be what?"  
"Oh, boy." Gonff rubbed his head. "Mmm, let's start from the beginning. How do you two know each other?"  
Martin took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Rose and some other sympathetic woodlanders rescued me from a fortress, Marshank, that was ruled by an evil stoat, named Badrang."  
"Later on," Rose continued the story. "We returned to Marshank to fight Badrang and, hopefully, kill him. I don't know if that was ever accomplished."  
"It was." Martin said. "But- but- in the battle- Rose was…" He trailed off.  
"No, Martin." Rose said softly. "I was not killed. Injured badly, yes, but not killed."  
"But your brother went back to Marshank to retrieve your- your body." Martin said shakily. "He was going to take you back to Noonvale to bury you."  
Rose thought for a second. "I must have gotten out of Marshank before he went back for me, then. I- I just remember being very, very dizzy… being picked up… losing consciousness… next thing I knew I was in an old hare's home. She talked enough to fill an entire book, but she managed to nurse me back to health. She mended my bones, and I thanked her and went on my way. Amazing, really."  
Martin found himself crying for the second time that night, but this time with absolute joy. Rose put her arm around him quietly. After a few seconds had passed she said, "After I left the hare's home I went back to Noonvale. I only stayed there for a while. Eventually I set out to find you. I- I searched for what seemed like forever, in despair of ever finding you. Then one day I heard of a heroic warrior, the best in the land, who lived at a redstone abbey and defended all goodbeasts with his great sword." She smiled. "I knew it could only be you, so I set off for the abbey, with directions from some kind woodlanders. And that's where I was heading when I found you."  
"Rather nice description of you, Martin." Gonff said, now grinning broadly. Rose and Martin looked up in surprise. They had almost forgotten that the others were there.  
Martin took another deep breath, then looked at Rose. "You- you wouldn't happen to know the way back to the Abbey, would you?" He smiled ruefully. "We are completely lost."  
"Of course I know my way back to the Abbey. I recited the directions to it every morning while I was heading for it."  
"The sun be a-roising." Dinny pointed out.  
Gonff stood up. "Wonderful. We'll start for the Abbey right now. Rose, you lead the way."  
The four companions headed back for Redwall Abbey with the sun rising in the east and smiles on their faces. 


	3. A Friend

A/N: Hi. Heeheehee.  
By the way- and this covers all of my chapters- I don't own these characters or Marshank or Redwall Abbey or ANYTHING. Except the hare that healed Rose. And this story, obviously. And the Laterose Theory. I'll tell you what that is later.  
I hope you liked the second chapter, I know it was somewhat short. Oh well. Here's the third chapter. *grins*   
  
~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
"They're coming!"  
Bella, Redwall Abbey's badgermum, ran to the window that Columbine, Gonff's wife, was looking out of.  
"Coming! Favver and Marthen be coming!" Gonflet said from Columbine's shoulders.   
"They certainly are." Bella said. Then she laughed suddenly.  
"What is it?" Columbine asked.  
Bella pointed out the window. "Martin must be in an extremely good mood today. It's not every day you see our Abbey warrior doing cartwheels down the path!"  
Gonflet giggled. "He look like a lickle Dibbun, doin' cartwheels like dat!"  
"He does, indeed." Columbine said, smiling. "Oh, look… there's a mousemaid with them. I wonder where she came from."  
"I don't know, my friend. But wherever she came from, let's show her what excellent food we have at the Abbey. We'll have an enormous supper. Come on, let's go and greet Martin, Gonff, Dinny and whoever their friend is!"  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
The four companions were led into the Abbey grounds.  
"Oh, it's good to know you're all right." Columbine said. "Where were you?"  
"Oh y'know, here an' there." Gonff said. "Over hill, over dale, getting ourselves hopelessly lost…"  
"Boi hokey, we wuz." Dinny declared.  
"I potecked alla creatures while you was gone." Gonflet said proudly.  
"So you did." Columbine said, smiling fondly.  
"Glad to hear it, matey." Gonff said, tweaking Gonflet's whisker.   
"Who's this pretty creature?" Bella asked, nodding towards Rose.  
"I'm Laterose." Rose said. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."  
"The pleasure's all mine, Laterose."  
"Rose is a friend of mine." Martin explained happily.  
Gonff slowly grinned as something occurred to him. "Yes, a friend."  
He winced as Martin kicked him discreetly.  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
"Favver, look!" Gonflet yelled. "I cans balance a flan on my head!"  
Everybeast in the Abbey was sitting around the long table, eating their fill of the Abbey's fine food.   
"I'm proud of you, pal." Gonff said, smiling. "That there flan-balancing is a skill you'll need all your life. Ya got 'nough pudden, Martin?"  
"Yes, Gonff, I'm sure three heaping bowls of the stuff is enough. Why'd you give me so much, anyway?"  
"'S good for you." Gonff said through a mouthful of cheese.   
"He's probably right." Rose said, grinning. She looked down at her plate. "My cake appears to be missing," she said.   
Martin took a half- eaten slice of cake from Gonff's plate and gave it to her. "This is probably it."  
"Hey!" the thief exclaimed.  
"Get your own cake!" Rose declared.  
Gonff watched a platter go by. "Don't mind if I do." he said as he grabbed a slice.  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
Later on, everybeast was seated comfortably in Great Hall. Martin and Rose were just finishing telling about Marshank and the events of the previous night. Almost everybeast was in tears as they heard about Martin's sorrow during the time when he thought Rose was dead, Rose's perseverance in finding Martin, and the joyful reunion.  
"That is a truly amazing story." Abbess Germaine said, wiping away a tear. "Amazing."  
"It bring tears to moi oiys, it do, and oi've already 'eard the story a trillyn toimes." Dinny noted.  
"Indeed," Bella said. "But now I think it's time for everybeast to go to bed. I, for one, am so tired I'll most likely sleep 'til noon tomorrow."  
"I'm going to bed now, too." Rose said, yawning. "Have a good sleep, everyone."  
All of the creatures present slowly rose and started towards the dormitories, until only Gonff and Martin remained.  
"Aren't you going to bed, matey?" Gonff asked.   
"No, not yet." Martin said. "I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, anyway."  
"Tell me about it."  
The friends both stared into the fire for a moment.  
"So." Gonff said after a pause.  
"So, what?" Martin queried.   
"So… well… you and Rose are good friends, aren't you?"  
"Yes, we are." Martin said inquisitively.  
"You're very close?"  
"Yes…" Martin stopped short. "Wait a minute… what are you saying?"  
"Ohh… nothing really. Just wondering."  
Martin looked hard at him.  
"All right, fine. Maybe I was implying something. Maybe."  
Martin sighed exasperatedly. "Is that what that whole 'Yes, a friend,' thing was about."  
Gonff giggled. "Yes, it is."  
Martin shook his head. "Bizarre. You are bizarre. Beyond all reason."  
"Am I?" Gonff inquired. "To me, my observations didn't sound very far from the truth."  
Martin sighed again. "I'm going to bed," he said wearily. "Goodnight."  
Gonff smiled. "Goodnight, matey." 


	4. Daisy Chains

A/N: Hello. *sigh* Life is good. Anyway, I'm thinking after this fic I'll do a Mariel/Dandin one. Sound good? Yeah? Okay.  
This still isn't the last chapter so look for more in the future!  
On with the story!   
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
"Woze, look at my pwetty pikchur!" Gonflet proudly held up a scrap of parchment, on which he had doodled a flower that was obviously supposed to be a rose.  
"How lovely!" Rose exclaimed, smiling.   
"It's for you!" Gonflet grinned broadly, looking not unlike his father, who was seated on the ground nearby.  
Martin looked over Gonff's shoulder, who had until now been gathering daisies. He now held a jumbled mess of the fair white blossoms in his paw.  
"May I ask what you're doing?" Martin inquired.  
"No, you may not." Gonff said, still staring absorbedly at the tangled flowers, trying to sort them out.  
"Very funny," Martin said dryly. "Now, really, what are you doing?"  
"If you must know, I'm making a daisy chain." Gonff said. A daisy fell from the untidy heap. "Or trying to."  
Martin smiled. "You know, you're just a little Dibbun at heart."  
"Aren't we all?" Gonff pointed out.  
There was a pause.  
"You know what?" Gonff said.  
"What?"  
"You never answered that question I asked last night. You somehow managed to avoid answering."  
Martin sighed.  
"You have to answer that question at some point, you know." Gonff said cheerily. "You have to admit your true feelings-"  
"Oh, be quiet." Martin said, throwing a daisy at the giggling mousethief.  
"What's so funny?"  
The friends looked up and saw Rose peering over their shoulders.  
"I don't know." Gonff said, trying to look innocent as Martin sighed despairingly. Gonff glanced at Martin, then back at Rose and said, "Maybe you should ask Martin. I think he knows."  
"Nothing's funny." Martin said quickly. "Gonff's just being, erm, strange."  
Rose raised an eyebrow. "What else is new?"  
Gonff grinned widely. "Oh, not much. Except for… oh, wait, that's nothing new, is it." He giggled again as Martin jabbed him in the ribs.  
Rose looked slightly confused. "All right, then. Um, Gonff you've got a daisy on your head."  
As Rose went to check on Gonflet, Gonff elegantly removed the flower from his head and placed it deliberately on Martin's.  
"So, I have a question," he said.  
Martin rolled his eyes. "And that would be…"  
Gonff smiled slyly. "Is the wedding going to be in spring or summer?"  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
Later that day, Martin thought about the conversations he'd had with Gonff that morning and the night before. He's right and I know it, he thought. He sighed as he made his way through the orchard. I still can't believe it. She's really alive. A smile crossed his face as he thought about the moment he realized he hadn't truly lost her. That had to be the best moment I've had in my life.  
"Martin?" He quickly snapped out of his reverie.  
Rose smiled at him. "Daydreaming, are you?"  
Martin smiled back. "How could you tell?"  
Rose shrugged and slipped her arm through his. "Well, I called your name about three times and you didn't answer, so I kind of figured…"  
"Ah."   
Rose sighed. "You know, it's all still so hard to comprehend."  
"I know. I can't believe this is all really happening. It's like a dream. A very good dream."  
"Yes." Rose bit her lip. "I still can't grasp the fact that you believed all that time that I was dead. I- I don't know what I would do if I thought you were dead for one day, much less the amount of time you thought I was."  
Something in her voice made Martin's heart speed up. "Um, yes."  
Rose smiled as she said, "I'm so glad things worked out this way. I'm so glad we've found each other."  
Martin and Rose continued to walk along and talk in the orchard, watching the sun setting in the west. 


	5. Tell Her

A/N: Sooo, how are you all feeling today? This chapter might be kind of short. Short but sweet, I think. I hope you like it; it's dedicated to Nikkianna.  
By the way, the Laterose Theory is simply the theory that Laterose is alive.   
So here's the chapter!  
  
~~~~(@ @)~~~~  
  
Martin sighed contentedly as he lay on the soft grass and gazed up at the sky. Gonff and Rose lay on either side of him.   
"Aaaaaah." Gonff sighed with satisfaction.   
"My thoughts exactly." Martin said, grinning.  
Rose had been at the Abbey for a few weeks now. Lazily she pointed up at the sky and said, "Look at that cloud."  
Gonff and Martin did so.  
"That's an awfully funny shaped cloud." Gonff noticed. "It looks almost like-"  
"Like an otter." Martin and Rose said simultaneously.   
Gonff wrinkled his nose. "I was thinking more along the lines of a wedge of cheese, but I guess an otter would work, too."   
Martin rolled his eyes. "That looks nothing like a wedge of cheese."  
"Does too."  
"Does not."  
"Does too."  
Rose laughed. "You two are worse than Dibbuns. Speaking of Dibbuns," she said, rising, "I must go help Bella with the rascals. They're probably still trying to persuade her to let them have some more pudding. I'll see you at dinner."  
Gonff watched her leave, then said, "So, when are you going to tell her?"  
Martin fiddled with a blade of grass. "Tell her what?"  
It was Gonff's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, please." He sat up. "It's rather obvious. Actually, it's not rather obvious. It's really obvious. Really obvious. So obvious you'd have to be blind and deaf not to notice. So obvious-"  
"All right, I get the point." Martin interrupted. "But-"  
"No, no." Gonff said. "No buts. You've got to tell her sometime. You can't just live out your entire existence not letting her know how you feel. If you love someone and never tell him or her, you just keep that love locked up inside you, never bringing it out into the open, never being able to share it with that person. But when you do tell them, you can experience that joy that comes with love, together. And that is a wonderful thing. You can't replace it with anything else in the universe, because it is a truly unique kind of joy, one that can only be experienced with that one other person, the one you love."  
Gonff looked his friend straight in the eye. "And the only way you can experience it is if you tell her."  
Martin looked back up at the sky for a second, then at Gonff again. "Gonff, you are undeniably a good friend. But- but how do I know what to say?"  
"Just say what's in your heart, and I promise you it will turn out all right." 


	6. The Rose

A/N: Hi! All right, everyone, I am sad to say that this is *SOB* the last chapter. This one will be short and sweet, like the last one. Thank you all so much for reading my story!  
  
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Martin signed his name on a new sheet of parchment. Rolling it up carefully and tying a piece of scarlet ribbon around it, he glanced out of the window at the Abbey grounds. It was a day of perfect and absolute beauty. The sun shone warmly down on the land beneath. Hundreds of flowers bloomed in its cheerful light. Martin gazed at the fields as an idea formed in his mind. Fields and fields of flowers… He stood up and made his way down the stairs and out onto the Abbey grounds.  
  
~~~~  
  
Martin wandered through the fields of blossoms, scrutinizing each flower thoroughly. He searched throughout the meadow, silently approving some flowers, shaking his head at others. He examined every leaf, every delicate petal of each blossom. Finally he came upon one that could not be more perfect. A stunning rose, every petal as red as a sunset. He gently plucked it from the ground and slipped it under the ribbon with which he had tied his note.  
  
~~~~  
  
Rose slowly opened the door to her dormitory. Sighing, she contentedly sat down on her bed. Her hand brushed against something as she did so. Curiously, Rose picked up a piece of parchment tied with a red ribbon. She caught her breath as she removed a red rose from underneath the ribbon. Gazing at it, she knew she had never seen a rose like it, nor would she see one so perfect again. She deftly untied the ribbon and unrolled the parchment. She recognized the handwriting immediately. As she read the letter, a smile slowly dawned on her face. Rose opened her door again and stepped out into the corridor. She joyfully descended the Abbey stairs. When she reached the bottom, she saw Martin, waiting for her, a smile on his face. 


End file.
